FBCWest 478 | Faith: The Believer Lives by It
Recorded On: 11/21/2021
Bulletin
FBCWest
November 21, 2021
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and truth.”
Praise and Worship
SCRIPTURE READING – 1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 24
“God So Loved”
“I am Who You Say I am”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Faith: The Believer Lives by It”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“In His Time”
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
“”
OFFERTORY PRAYER
SPECIAL MUSIC – By Pru Hungate
Continued Praise and Worship
“Kings and Queens”
“Watch Over Me”
Benediction “Egypt”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Sermon Notes
Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ
Hebrews 11:1 – 3 What is faith
Hebrews 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to please God
Hebrews 12:2 Jesus is the author and perfecter of faith
Habakkuk 2:4 The righteous lives by his faith
Galatians 2:20 We are to live by faith
2 Corinthians 5:7 We walk by faith
Romans 5:1 Justified by faith
Ephesians 2:8 & 9
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
Audio file
FBCWest478.mp3
Transcript
Your Bibles turn to Hebrews Chapter 11 and put your finger there because we're not going to go there first.
The writer moved by the Holy Spirit.
What we call the pistol or the letter to the Hebrews.
And when he wrote it, he didn't write and said chapter one verse one, chapter 2 verse two.
He just wrote the letter.
Translators afterwards placed the chapters and verses so they would make it easier for you and me. So when I say for instance, turn in your Bibles to Hebrews Chapter 11, it's easy for you to find it rather than if you look in your scroll and move about 3/4 of the way down and in the third paragraph.
That's what we're going.
To talk about, so it was for our.
Ease, but sometimes it it come.
Presents certain obstacles.
The writer.
Which again says the Holy Spirit.
But the writer of Hebrews at the end of Chapter 10.
Wrote about faith.
And he stated quoting Old Testament passages that the righteous lives by his faith.
But those who aren't.
Odd drawback.
From the faith, and so he says, at that conclusion of that chapter.
But you're not those people.
You're the people who move on in faith and then in chapter 10.
He's going to write about faith.
And then he's going to do what we kind of called the Honor roll or the Hall of Fame of Faith, and will list a number of men and women who he's going to use as an examples of faith.
I'm going to deal with faith in a long series like so almost a miniseries within this series.
Because one
The scriptures say that faith is important.
Even Paul says there are these three faith, hope and love.
Paul, but also Paul says the most important of those three is love because it will last for eternity.
Faith and hope will last while we're here.
But Faith isn't extremely important because as he quoted it from the Old Testament, the Righteous sell lived by his faith.
So it's an important aspect of our lives as disciples to live by faith.
But the reason I'm going to emphasize it for a period of time is because currently
Pastors and big churches and pastors and small churches and Christian music artists right about faith.
But in my humble opinion is wrong, but let me correct myself.
It's not my humble opinion.
I am convinced that they're wrong by the scriptures.
And so this is going to be demarcation if.
You will of.
My ministry, and therefore your ministry, 'cause I'm up here.
And much of what the other Christian churches teach, and it is permeates.
Because you will hear things about.
Well, if you just have enough faith and if this and that and and you start to wonder.
So I want to spend this time.
But before I look at the scriptures, I want to tell a story.
Jesus told parables and I'm certainly not on the power of Jesus when it comes to being a teacher, but I'm going to say, well, he was an effective teacher, so maybe if I use the story will.
Burn into your mind what we're trying to do.
Also, another person who was influential in my life was my mother.
She used to tell stories.
Now she didn't tell parables.
Usually the story she would tell would be true stories.
Because, you know, without going through the story, she would tell this story which the mold the story was.
Don't criticize your spouse to other people 'cause they only think that your spouse is worse than you're saying so, but she would tell stories like that, thinking that I was smart enough to figure out the moral of the story.
So I'm gonna give you a story.
So here we go.
There's a 5 year old.
We'll call will say she's a girl.
She could be a boy just as well.
In this five year old little girl.
See some people, some friends and family and she goes.
My parents are getting me a pony.
And the friends and relatives a little shocked they go.
They tell you they're buying you a pony.
But I really, really, really.
Believe that they're going to buy me a pony.
They are.
But Are you sure?
Yep, because I.
I really, really, really believe they're going to buy me a pony.
And I've heard at church that if you just believed it enough.
That it will happen and.
I've heard on the music.
If you just believe for it.
It will happen.
And so I.
Really, really really, really, really, really, really, really, really.
Believe that my parents were buying me a pony.
And then one of the older relatives go. But you do realize that you live in a 2 bedroom apartment on the 25th floor in the middle of Manhattan.
And a pony requires hey and other things than you have allergies, and you realize that once they eat the hey, it's going to go through them and deposit places.
Are you are you?
Really sure they're going to get you a pony and she goes.
And difficulties are just opportunities.
What's wrong with that story?
Her parents never told her.
She was getting a pony.
She just believed it.
That's not belief, that's presumption.
That's desire.
But she has taken what she wants.
And put Christian.
Values to it because she was taught.
That if she just believed enough.
It would happen.
So the only thing that's going to happen when her parents don't get her the pony, and if she does in fact live in a 2 bedroom apartment on the 25th floor in Manhattan, they're probably not going to buy her a pony. She's going to either.
Have lack of faith.
And her parents.
And in God.
Because her faith.
As much as a 5 year old can get it into her body and mind.
Believed for it.
But faith is not that.
So even though you have your fingers and I want you to turn first to Romans chapter 10, verse 17.
Because this tells us about faith.
And faith is not presumption.
Romans 10 Chapter chapter 10 verse 17 says this.
So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.
I can want something and I can desire something and I can really think with all conviction that it will happen, but that is not faith.
Faith is the God says X will happen and I believe that will happen.
That's faith.
Faith is.
I haven't received it yet, but I'm going to because God said it would.
So faith comes from hearing the voice of God, not for me, presuming what the voice.
Of God is.
That is why I am convinced that these pastors, although are members of of large congregations and have book signings and on the radio and small chat pastors who think that they like to be.
A big faster.
They're wrong, that's not what this scripture teaches.
The Scriptures do not teach.
If you believe for it, it will happen.
It says if God says.
It it will happen.
So faith comes from hearing.
In my story, the little girl didn't hear anything, she just wanted it.
Now, for parents said we're gonna buy you a pony and don't. It doesn't matter. We live on the 25th floor on a 2 bedroom apartment.
Then she couldn't believe her parents.
They may be crazy, but they can do it because she can believe that they set.
It so again when God your father says something.
You can take it to the bank.
So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ, not hearing by the pastor.
So when these pastors say, if you just believe it, that's not what the word.
Of Christ says.
So now we'll go back to Hebrews Chapter 11.
And it's going to kind of describe.
The definition of faith.
Hebrews 11 starting with verse one.
Now, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
So faith.
Is that confidence just like this little girl was so confident that her parents were getting her a pony?
Wasn't because it was presumption, but once they are, you're told by God this is going to happen.
And then.
It is the issue.
Prince, you're not wondering.
You know when Jesus says to the man who who's about to heal, do you believe?
And he said, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.
There is that kind of wishy washy Ness.
He's saying Lord, give me that conviction of faith that assurance.
Of faith, and that's what faith is. Faith is in a 1250 fifty I I kind of know God says it.
That settles it.
It is the assurance.
Of things hoped for.
The conviction
It is not mandatory.
A mildly held belief it is that I will go to my grave believing that even if I haven't seen it yet because I know God will do what God says he does.
Now I'm going to we'll talk a little bit later about what God says he will.
Do but it is exhausting.
So faith is not that.
I believe for it is that assurance and conviction.
Once God has said it, he will perform it.
First three well and verse 2 four by it.
The men of old gained approval.
I love it when I hear people say, well, you know God had a plan in the in the Garden of Eden and that kind of got messed up.
So then had another plan and that kind of messed up.
So then he came up with the children of Israel.
That kind of messed up, so then he said Jesus. And if you kind of look at the world that that kind of messed up, you know it's God's always trying to come up with a new plan.
The 1st and original plan that is still in.
Used today faith.
For by it by faith men of old gain approval.
Adam and Eve gained approval by Faith.
Able receive.
Approval by faith.
Innocuous received approval by Faith.
No well received approval by Faith.
Abraham and Sarah received approval by Faith.
Isaac Jacob.
As a chi, you named the people.
They received approval from God because of faith, not they were good little boys and girls.
'cause if you read the scriptures, most of them weren't good.
Little boys and girls.
They had their moments.
And then the other times.
But they were approved by God because of faith.
So faith is important for us as believers.
Verse 3 by Faith we understand that the world's were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
Well, how is it that that the creation of the universe is by faith?
Because God said in the very beginning, in the beginning with God.
And God created the heavens and the Earth, and he spoke, and things happened.
I believe.
That God created.
The universe.
Now science will say something different.
But let me get let you in on a little secret.
The scientists weren't there, God was.
My belief that God created the universe is based on the fact that God said he created the universe.
But there are also other evidences that God created the universe that it wasn't a happenstance.
Accidental thing that happened.
Science will even verify it.
Take statistics, take biology, take cosmologic cosmology, take.
Astronomy take physics take.
Uhm, math, all the sciences.
We'll show even geography will show.
That God created the earth.
The differences science looks at the evidence and sees a different result.
I look at the evidence and it confirms what God told me.
So I believe.
That God created the universe because he said so, and their evidence is for it.
But even if there wasn't any evidence for it, I would believe it.
And as I tell people.
If you're right, there is no God.
When you die, you'll never know you're right.
'cause you'll just be gone.
But if I'm right.
There is a God.
You will be mind at every moment of eternity.
That you were wrong.
And I will be in the blessid presence of my Lord and Savior.
We're going to jump down because we're going to talk about other other things. We're going to go through these men's lives individually, so verse six of Hebrews. Chapter 11.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him or diligently seek him.
So it states number one.
You want to please God?
Then you have to have faith.
You can follow.
As far as even above humanly possible.
All of the commandments, including the 10 plus the 620 plus other commandments and you could follow them religiously and piously.
But if you don't do it in faith, you don't, please God.
Because without faith it is not possible to please him.
Now I'm going to go into another area that drives me crazy with these.
Wrong ideas and faith.
I and I heard this last week so.
Somewhere there's very I'm not going to say his name, 'cause I don't want to embarrass.
Him for being wrong.
But there was this very famous faster on the radio.
And he said, and he goes, Jesus was ministering.
He was in his hometown.
And it says he could not do any miracles there because there was no faith.
And his conclusion was without faith, God can't do things.
And I immediately got angry and turned the radio station to something else, 'cause it figure even a secular.
Place me better than that.
Let me in on notice they didn't say.
Without faith it's impossible for God to do something.
It says it is impossible to please God.
If you don't have faith.
Whether you have faith or don't have faith has no impact on the ability of God to do anything.
Why did God?
Why did Jesus do know miracles in that hometown?
Because the point of his doing miracles was to produce faith.
He wasn't the best show on Earth. He doesn't dare to show them that it was a pretty good show for 1/4.
Hey, let's go see Jesus because he heals people and he cures people.
And and it's a great show.
If you see this show and you don't say he's the son of God, then he's wasting his time in your.
It's not that he could not.
It's that it was not valuable to do so because he was there to seek and to save that which was lost.
And if he performed miracles and no one came then he was wasting his time.
And I'm going to go on a little further in another verse that we'll look at that will show this.
All the more.
Do you want to please God?
Then when he makes a promise.
Believe it.
And then act on it.
You see?
An example I've heard many years ago.
Is that you?
Could believe a chair will hold your weight.
But until you sit on the chair you just said, I believe.
That the chair.
But you've been rested in the chair, thinking, yes, it could hold my weight.
When you say God says if you believe.
That God raised Jesus from the dead.
In your heart and confess with your mouth him as Lord you will be saved once you rest on that.
Then you have both believed and acted.
You see the.
Know that God is God.
They even tremble in his presence.
They don't worship you.
Skipping over to Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2.
It says this.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus.
You see, we get off on problems when we don't fix our eyes on Jesus.
An example that I learned when I was taking a driving course.
Was they said when you start to spin out of control, most people like trees coming and So what they do is they stare at the tree.
Which means 100 percent of the.
Times you will.
Hit the.
Tree because you will hit what you're looking at.
So their advice?
Was when you're out of control, you look where you want to be, and you look there and you're by looking there.
You will move.
The will to get you where you want to be, not where you're afraid of your going.
Fixing your eyes on Jesus will get you to where you want to be and not screaming into a tree.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus now notice it says the author and perfecter of faith.
He was the one who originated it.
He was the one who first wrote about it.
He was a fan who first told about it and he perfects our.
Faith so we come to him in faith.
Lord, I believe, help my unbelief and he takes this from that point to perfect it faith.
But it's not me, it's not some other pastor.
It's not some other Music Writer.
It's not even some great author.
It is Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith.
And then he says, for who the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
He said look at Jesus, what did he do?
He was obedient and faith or the father.
He despises shame.
He didn't.
He didn't enjoy that.
He despised the fact.
That they mocked God.
But having done what the father said, he then placed in a place of honor at the right hand of.
God the father.
We are to see what Jesus did.
And emulate and imitate him.
So when things aren't going well, it's OK because Jesus went through some really bad stuff.
And while we will not end up at the right hand of the throne of God, we will end up.
Before the throne of God.
Hopefully they hear the words well done.
Good and faithful slave.
But we will only hear that.
Because of our faith.
Not because of our accomplishments.
Abeka chapter 2 verse 4.
Which is what the writer of Hebrews was quoting, says, behold, for the.
Prod one his.
Soul is not right within him, but the righteous will live by his faith.
The righteous will live by his day when God says.
Blessid are those who are persecuted for my namesake.
For their reward is great, rejoice.
And be exceedingly joyful.
When that happens, we don't shucks how come I'm being no we are to rejoice because we say we understand that he said.
We're going to be blessed.
Because of this, we live our lives accordingly.
When he says that we are to love one another as he has loved us, we do so because we believe what he says and we know what he will do when we have done what he's called us to do.
When he tells us that we are to forgive one another as we have been forgiven, we do these things in faith.
'cause the world will say no, no, you don't forgive you get even.
Or in my in my sense, I don't get even I.
I want to get ahead so you know, I jokingly one time my wife threw some cold water on me.
I I got her back 10 times.
And I would say one.
And it took a couple years to do.
It seem in my natural I.
I don't want to get even.
I want to squish you like a bug.
But that's not what Jesus taught me.
He taught me to forgive.
And to love.
And so I will live my life based on that.
Not on my.
Natural condition.
So we are to live our lives.
I think.
Which means we need to know what our faith is to live it by it.
So we need to understand who Jesus is and to read his word so that faith comes by hearing.
And that's the word of Christ, so that we.
Know how to live.
Galatians chapter 2 verse 20 says this I have been crucified with Christ and is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in.
The flesh I.
Live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.
Paul says I have made a bargain.
I have decided that I.
Have crucified this life like Christ was crucified and I'm going to live for him.
Not for myself.
Now if.
You're like pollen like me.
Paul later has to say.
I have to die daily.
Because while Jesus Rose again on the third day, when we crucify ourselves weeks.
Our old nature just keeps wanting to pop up again, so we have to kind of nail ourselves through that cross daily.
Because we want to do what we want to.
Do, but Paul says.
I've decided to live by faith in the son of God.
Paul was persecuted.
Paul was beaten.
Pool with Stone, Paul was shipwrecked.
Paul was all sorts of different things.
He was.
Placed on trial.
He didn't do that 'cause he thought it made a great life.
He did so because he believed God.
And that there was reward for him that he believed they, if he sought God, that he would be a rewarder of him.
Because I do so not because God is this.
But that God loved me.
And gave himself up for me.
2nd Corinthians Chapter 5 verse seven says this.
For we walk by faith.
Not by sight.
A couple of things walking means that we're moving and walking.
Also kind of means that we're living.
We are to move by faith.
We are to live by faith.
Where to do these things but.
He says we.
Do so by faith, not by sight.
Now he's not saying that we moved blindly.
The people who would say if I just believe enough, they're walking blindly.
They're not walking in faith, they're walking.
By not site.
The scriptures didn't tell us to walk blindly.
It said to walk by faith, not by sight.
Because if you look at the lives of many believers.
Their lives are probably more hard.
Than the average person.
Because the world didn't care for them, the world one or two.
Persecute them.
So if you're looking at who gains the most toys and what's the most successful, then you say well, by site.
The people who are blessed and.
That's why the Jew used to.
Say well, if if you're having difficulties and problems and you're sick and your family whatever, then you must be a Sinner.
You see, they're walking by sight.
Even though the whole book of Job says Job was a faithful, righteous man who was fell victim of a conversation between him between God and Satan.
We walk by faith.
We walked by the fact of what God has said.
God has told us that we are.
Saved by his.
We are rewarded by these things we do so not by what seems to be.
Applicable right now, but the fact that God will reward us ultimately in the end.
We walk.
By faith.
And not by sight.
Romans chapter 5 verse one does it.
This, therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
You see, faith has a result.
We are justified.
We're not just excused.
We're not just not guilty.
We are innocent.
We are blameless.
We are justified in all that we are because of faith.
And him.
We live.
I think one of the reasons people.
Seemed to say well.
I I said the sinners prayer and I believe Jesus and whatever.
But I did these things and they're terrible and they keep beating themselves up and they keep doing the shame and the scriptures keep saying, well, once I've forgiven you, your sins are, as far as the east is from the West that I remember them no more.
Those are things God said.
You're not operating in faith if you keep beating yourself up because he forgave you.
His word says.
If you believe in my son, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
I live by faith in that not by the fact that my feelings.
'cause my feelings will deceive me every single time.
How do I know that there's there are days I really feel skinny, so I look in the mirror?
But I felt skinny.
We have peace with God.
And then the last verse that I.
Want to use to.
For today, we're going to talk about faith for for extended period of time.
Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 and 9.
For by Grace you have been saved.
Grace is unmerited favor. You don't deserve it. You didn't earn it, you you. There's nothing you can do to ever qualify for God's love and forgiveness. It's by grace. You have been saved.
Well, how do I know that I've?
Been saved through faith.
The fact that I have faith tells me I'm saved that I've received race because he's given me faith.
So I am saved by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves.
It is the gift of God.
So I'm gonna go back.
Remember the the, the pastor and others who say well, Jesus couldn't do things because there was no faith or thingies.
It could have given faith.
'cause it's not your faith, it's his faith that.
He gives you.
Think it through.
For grace, you've been saved through faith, and that another shell is a gift of God.
So God can could have.
Given them faith and then done all kinds of miracles.
He's not.
It is not impossible for.
God to work.
Unless there's faith, it is impossible to please them unless you have it.
It's a gift.
Of God.
And one more thing about.
Well, if I just had enough faith.
She just had enough faith.
These things wouldn't happen, or those things wouldn't happen.
How come when people say that?
They never remember Jesus saying.
If you just have the faith of.
A mustard seed.
You could tell this mountain to.
Move and it will be moved.
Now the size of a mustard seed is so small that if I had a mustard seed in my between my thumb and my forefinger, you still couldn't see it because the fleshly part of my.
Fingers would cover it up.
So how much faith do you really need to move a mountain?
If all you need is the size of a mustard seed, and yet people say, well, I just if I just had more faith.
If I just had enough faith.
If I if I just believed hard enough, it will happen.
As opposed to if God were tell me till that mountain to move.
Then all I need is a mustard seed side of faith and say move.
But everybody wants mountains that move that aren't.
Mountains are necessarily supposed to be moved.
Maybe God wants you to go over it or.
Around it or through it.
We all want to move mountains.
There is a mountain.
It's going to move its rights out outside of.
Jerusalem and it's going to split in.
Half when Jesus comes.
So until God tells me.
To tell that mountain to move.
If I told that.
Mountain to move.
It would sit there.
Because there is no faith to tell that mountain to move until God tells me to tell that mountain to move.
Then there is faith in the operation.
Not as a result of works, so that no.
One may boast.
Pleases God.
Faith shows that you're saved.
Faith shows all the aspects of that salvation.
Faith shows that there are rewards that God is a rewarder of those who seek.
In just a moment, we're going to sing in his time.
It's all chorus.
And the point of the song isn't in his time.
The reason I picked this was.
It says.
Lord, please show me everyday as you're teaching me your way.
That you do just what you say.
In your time.
Faith is God.
You will do what you say.
It's God if you say I'm going to get a pony then I'm going to get a pony, but if you don't say.
I'm getting a pony then.
I'm a desire one I may buy one when I get whatever, but I can't expect God to get me a pony until he tells me I'm giving you a pony.
But isn't it sad we want a pony?
Rather, the same God, you've given me salvation.
You've allowed me to.
Be called a child of yours.
You've made my life blessed here and in the future so you don't get me a pony so you don't move the mountain it's OK.
Because I have you.
And you have me and I trust you.
And I believe in you.
And when you tell me the world was made by you, I'm going to believe it.
Well, there are thousand scientists tell me differently.
Because you were there and they weren't.
I believe you.
And all God's people said.